Quote:
Originally Posted by Phildog
Hi guys!
The guitar in question is a 30's Kamico Archtop. I got it for $5 from a thrift shop. The neck is bowed, but doesn't have a truss rod. It's not even steel-reinforced. I strung it up after I refinished it, but the bow must be addressed in order to give it a good string height. Right now, it's clamped to a straight-edge...after I heated it with a hair dryer. I added a slight back-bow to it...thinking that it will be straight when strung.
My question...or concern is that it will eventually bend again without having any reinforcement like a truss rod.
I want to keep the guitar original, but I'd really like to resolve this issue. Right now, it's great for slide, but I want to be able to lower the action and play her as she was designed to play.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks guys!
Phil
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Phil,
On guitars that do not have adjustable rods, the most common way to straighten them is by compression fretting. Basically that is a complete re-fretting using a fret wire whose tang (the part of the fret that goes in the slot) is slightly over-sized so as to make the fingerboard straighten.
It requires the repairman to make a very educated guess so expect to pay a fair price for the work.
A new bottleneck will be a lot less.
HE
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